Question regarding which PCI slot to use

[GuntherHanne]

Hallo

I have to make use of wireless networking here in New Zealand as I currently don't have a wired connection to the room which I will use as study. This is not a problem really and I am about to get myself a nice wireless router and PCI adaptor for the PC. I ahve a choice of a PCI or a PCI-E adaptor amd my mobo has one of each slot which I could potentially use. The PCI-E slot is however obstructed by my graphics card and what I could gather from the specs between these two adaptors, the PCI-E card is the better one.

My question is quite simply, can I put my graphics card into the other blue slot on my board? My mobo is the Asus Crosshair II Formula which has 3 GPU slots, two blue and one white. The 2 blue ones are both the same speed and used for SLi while the white one is slower. I'm using an ATI card, so no SLI for me. Does it make a difference performance wise to have the GPU in slot 1 or slot 2? (My PC specs are down below)

If it does then I'll rather go for the PCI adaptor.

The wirless compnents I'll be getting is the D-Link DIR-855 and the adaptor chice is between D-Link DWA-556 or the D-Link DWA-547.

Any help and advise will be greatly appreciated.

[Koko_Lion]

Hope you are settling in ok and that everything is going well.

Have you maybe thought about getting a USB wireless adapter instead? Reason I ask is that with past experiences they seem to give better performance than PCI. You can also raise the device for a better reception.

[GuntherHanne]

Hi Koko_Lion

Thanks for the response and yes, settling in wonderfully and all is absolutely wonderful here.

Most of the responses I got so far is that PCI adaptors are better as USB adaptors through the USB port are quite slow. It might be different with USB 2 or 3 but with my current board it's too slow. These adaptors have ach 3 antennas and so does the router and according to my brother-in-law (now ex B-I-L but still good friends) it works brilliantly, much better than a USB adaptor

[hamin_aus]

what I could gather from the specs between these two adaptors, the PCI-E card is the better one.

wat

It's a wireless card. They are all made to the 802.11g standard.
Just go with PCI.

[THE_STIG]

I agree with jamin on this one, it really is not going to make any difference. So just get whichever one is more convenient for you

[Hman]

Or get the PCI-E one with a slot extension.

[Stuart]

Or get a PCI to USB expansion card, and then get a USB wireless dongle with a range extender, and a wireless modem with three external antennas, and then install some Safety Tested and ApprovedTM software linked from a poorly designed Russian website that promises to exponentially speed up your Internet connection, and . . . and . . . buy A FRIGGIN SHARK WITH A FRIGGIN LASER BEAM ATTACHED TO ITS FRIGGIN HEAD!!!

Or just get the PCI one.

[Koko_Lion]

Definitely friday afternoon